Chicago hip-hop artist remembers Libyan ambassador

September 12, 2012

People around the world, incuding Chicagoans, are mourning the death of Christopher Stevens, the U.S. ambassador to Libya.

Khaled M is a Chicago-based hip-hop artist and the son of Libyan exiles who fled the country in the 1970s. He went to Libya for the first time last December, after the fall of Moammar Ghadafi. That's when he met Christopher Stevens.

"He was a very cheerful, positive, sincere fellow. You could tell he really wanted to embrace the Libyan culture."

Stevens wasn’t yet the U.S. Ambassador to Libya, but he already had a high profile in the country. "As far as I know all Libyans embraced him and loved him, Khaled said, adding "He was definitely a charismatic guy."

Khaled says Stevens practiced what he calls the “rawest” form of democracy. He would take meals with locals and attend their weddings and funerals, so many Libyans are especially outraged by his death.

"For this to happen not just to Libyans but to guests, to Americans who were in Libya is just a big embarrassment, a stain on our history."